It is well known in the vehicle industry that certain rotary accessory devices are often used in connection with vehicle motors. Two such well known accessory devices are alternators and starter motors. Alternators are used in connection with an engine, typically by being driven by a belt that is driven by the engine. Alternators have internal components which when rotated supply electrical power which may be used in the vehicle and/or engine. Alternators are typically removably but rigidly mounted via a bracket to the engine block or the chassis of the vehicle. In many cases, where a standard type of alternating mounting arrangement is used, the alternator has “ears” with holes that are mounted onto a post or belt attached to the vehicle permitting pivoting of the alternator so that the alternator can be pivoted around the post against the belt tension in order to install and remove belts, and provide a suitable tension when the belt is installed.
Starter motors are electrical motors which are typically removably but rigidly mounted to an engine or transmission casing and which have an electrically driven pinion gear extending from the starter motor that engages a component, typically gears on the flywheel of the engine, in order to be able to rotate the crank shaft of the engine to start it. There are a wide range of attachment mechanisms for attaching such a starter motor.
It is often desirable to test alternators and/or starter motors at locations where they have been removed from the vehicle, e.g., on a test bench. For example, such testing may be desirable before installing a new alternator or starter or may be desirable for removing an existing alternator or starter for testing when diagnosing vehicle problems.
Existing designs for alternator and/or starter testers may include an capability to attach a belt to the pulley of an alternator and drive the alternator belt with a motor. For testing starter motors, the starter motor may typically be connected to a device that provides power to the starter motor so the motor is selectively operated. Assembled in the prescribed manner, the alternator or starter can be subjected to significant currents and/or produce powerful voltages in an effort to test the components. Furthermore, alternators and starters contain movable parts when energized, for instance, during a bench test. Hence, difficulty may result from avoiding components which could become dislodged during a bench test procedure.
While operators of alternator and/or starter tester equipment are typically trained to operate such equipment, such machinery may include rudimentary guards and warning decals that can be routinely defeated or even ignored. Thus, it would be desirable to have an apparatus and method that is able to conveniently guard against exposure to significant currents and/or voltages during a bench test procedure. It would be further desirable to have an apparatus and method that is able to conveniently guard against flying debris and/or exposure to moving parts during a bench test procedure.